Back to top

Image: Bigstock

Is USA Truck (USAK) Stock Undervalued Right Now?

Read MoreHide Full Article

The proven Zacks Rank system focuses on earnings estimates and estimate revisions to find winning stocks. Nevertheless, we know that our readers all have their own perspectives, so we are always looking at the latest trends in value, growth, and momentum to find strong picks.

Of these, value investing is easily one of the most popular ways to find great stocks in any market environment. Value investors use tried-and-true metrics and fundamental analysis to find companies that they believe are undervalued at their current share price levels.

Luckily, Zacks has developed its own Style Scores system in an effort to find stocks with specific traits. Value investors will be interested in the system's "Value" category. Stocks with both "A" grades in the Value category and high Zacks Ranks are among the strongest value stocks on the market right now.

One stock to keep an eye on is USA Truck . USAK is currently holding a Zacks Rank of #1 (Strong Buy) and a Value grade of A. The stock holds a P/E ratio of 9.71, while its industry has an average P/E of 28.68. USAK's Forward P/E has been as high as 4,285.73 and as low as -4,143, with a median of 11.47, all within the past year.

Investors should also recognize that USAK has a P/B ratio of 1.87. The P/B ratio pits a stock's market value against its book value, which is defined as total assets minus total liabilities. This company's current P/B looks solid when compared to its industry's average P/B of 3.05. Over the past 12 months, USAK's P/B has been as high as 1.87 and as low as 0.34, with a median of 1.02.

These figures are just a handful of the metrics value investors tend to look at, but they help show that USA Truck is likely being undervalued right now. Considering this, as well as the strength of its earnings outlook, USAK feels like a great value stock at the moment.

Published in